US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO2053

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 002053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR CA/OCS AND SA/INS 
STATE PLEASE ALSO PASS AID 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
NEW DELHI FOR FAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC, AEMR, EAID, CE, MV, MIssion Security 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA AND MALDIVES:  UPDATE ON POST-TSUNAMI 
SITUATION 
 
REF: COLOMBO 2046 (NOTAL) 
 
1.  Five Americans have been reported killed and about 100 
remain unaccounted for after a tsunami struck Sri Lanka the 
morning of December 26, causing at least 6,000 deaths 
islandwide. (Note: The latest government figures indicate the 
count could rise as high as 10,000.  End note.)  This tally 
includes at least 900 victims whose bodies have been brought 
into government-controlled territory from areas controlled by 
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northern 
part of the island.  Some reports from LTTE areas indicate as 
many as 1500 may have been killed in areas under Tiger 
control.  Casualty figures across the country are expected to 
rise as more information becomes available.  The Ministry of 
Tourism estimates that about 70 foreign tourists of unknown 
nationalities may be missing.  An American consular officer 
and one Locally Engaged Staff traveled to the southern 
district of Galle in Sri Lanka on December 27, where three 
AmCits were reported killed and another injured. 
 
2.  No Americans have been reported killed as a result of the 
tsunami on December 26 in Maldives.  The death toll in 
 
SIPDIS 
Maldives stood at 43 Maldivians and 3 foreigners (one Sri 
Lankan and two British citizens) as of mid-afternoon on 
December 27.  An American officer traveled to Maldives on 
December 27 to establish contact with American citizens in 
need of assistance.  With phone lines unreliable and fax 
lines inoperative, Chief Government Spokesman Dr. Ahmed 
Shaheed e-mailed to poloff an official diplomatic note 
specifying requests for disaster assistance.  A copy of the 
e-mail has been forwarded to SA/INS. 
 
3.  All U.S. government facilities, including the Embassy, 
American Center and IBB site in Iranawila in northwestern Sri 
Lanka remain fully operational.  The Embassy continues to 
experience difficulty in obtaining reliable information from 
affected areas, a situation aggravated by prolonged outages 
of land-line and mobile telephone communications.  In the 
southern district of Galle, authorities have located the 
remnants of three railway cars, presumably jammed full of 
travelers returning from their Christmas holidays, which had 
been thrown off the tracks by the force of the wave.  In the 
eastern district of Trincomalee, one of the worst affected 
areas, at least 1000 people have been reported killed, most 
of them children.  Six hotels, including Nilaveli Beach 
Resort, one of the most popular tourist destinations on the 
island, have collapsed and/or been washed away. 
 
 
4.  On December 27 a multi-agency meeting hosted by UNDP was 
held in an effort to coordinate disaster relief.  As a result 
of that meeting, NGOs and bilateral donors have decided to 
form a working group to be coordinated by British aid agency 
DFID.  Three specialists from the UN Office of Coordination 
of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) arrived in Sri Lanka on 
December 27.  UNOCHA is establishing an operational office in 
Sri Lanka for the next week or as necessary.  One of the 
first results is likely to be a joint coordinated disaster 
assessment, beginning on December 28, combining the resources 
of DFID specialists, an 80-person French team, UN agencies, 
as well as USAID/OFDA. 
 
5.  OFDA's Regional Advisor Bill Berger is expected to arrive 
tonight from Kathmandu.  Foreign Secretary Palihakkara told 
Ambassador again on December 27 of Government interest in a 
DART team.  Ambassador told him Berger will assess the 
situation, and we would decide where to go from there. 
Palihakkara also mentioned the need for helicopters (See Para 
6 below.)  The Sri Lankan government plans to set up a 
website (helpsrilanka.org), expected to be fully operational 
by COB on December 27, with information for individuals 
wishing to offer donations/assistance to victims of the 
tsunami.  The Sri Lankan government plans to use the 
 
SIPDIS 
international convention center in Colombo to house foreign 
tourists evacuated from other parts of the island.  The 
Embassy, through a combination of converted space available 
from its employees recreational association and emboffs' 
residences, can accommodate up to 40 displaced Americans.  In 
addition, the Embassy has set up a separate collection for 
Locally Engaged Staff affected by flooding. 
6.  The Sri Lankan military is sending us their needs lists, 
and DATT is in contact with PACOM and III MEF to see what 
assistance can be provided. 
 
7.  Overall, things are a little slow in getting sorted out, 
but beginning, we think, to pick up.  This is not surprising, 
given the scale of the disaster. 
LUNSTEAD